


double vision

by laurenjauregui



Series: you make me sick (for being so perfect) drafts [13]
Category: Fifth Harmony (Band)
Genre: F/F, autistic!lauren, lauren is a twin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-22 20:48:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15590433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurenjauregui/pseuds/laurenjauregui
Summary: Camila moves to Miami and meets identical twins, Lauren and Michelle Jauregui.





	double vision

“You must be the new student. Karla Cabello, right?”

Camila almost scoffs when her new teacher uses her first name, but she reminds herself that he doesn’t know any better and refrains from it. “Yeah. I prefer to use my middle name, Camila, though.”

He sends her a warm smile. “Of course, Camila. Take a seat over there next to Dinah.”

Camila looks to where he’s pointing and nods, walking to the middle of the room and sitting down next to a blonde girl who is looking her up and down sceptically. The girl looks like a runway model, aside from the wary look on her face, and it’s a little intimidating, but Camila pushes past that. She figures that if they’re going to be partners for the rest of the year, she might as well introduce herself.

She tries to brush off the way the other girl is looking at her and smiles. “Hey. I’m Camila, although I don’t know why I’m telling you that because you probably heard the teacher call me it.”

Apparently the girl senses she’s not a threat – probably from her awkward rambling – and the sceptical look is replaced by a welcoming grin. “Dinah Jane Hansen. Nice to meet you. You good at history?”

Camila shrugs as Dinah pushes her textbook to the centre of the table so they can share it. “Kind of? It’s not my favourite subject, but it’s not like I’m bad at it.”

Dinah raises an eyebrow. “What _is_ your favourite subject?”

“I’m a big music nerd, but I hate doing it for a grade, so my favourite class would probably be literature.” Camila replies. “I don’t know, I love reading and the fact that there’s a million different interpretations for just one line in a book is fascinating.”

Dinah laughs. “You know, you sound like a friend of mine. She always has her nose in a book.”

“In that case, I think your friend and I would get along well.” Camila responds with a smile, proud of herself for not accidentally scaring Dinah off. “Do you like to read?”

“Nah,” Dinah scoffs, “It takes too long. I just watch the movies.”

Holding back whatever snarky comment is hanging off the tip of her tongue, Camila just hums. “Well... I guess everyone has different opinions.”

It’s silent for a few moments, and Dinah scribbles something down in her notebook, before looking back up to Camila with a smile. “You got any lunch plans?”

“No,” Camila shakes her head, “I was just planning on sitting in the library, which probably sounds super nerdy and weird and I’m really digging myself into a hole right now so please forget that I said that.”

“Perfect,” Dinah smiles, “you’re coming to sit with me and my friends.”

Camila blinks in surprise. “Wait, really? You’re inviting me to sit with you?”

“Yeah,” Dinah laughs, “You seem cool, Camila. I’m always down to hang with cool people.”

“Oh, thank you,” Camila composes herself and smiles, half-grateful that she’d been called _cool_ , “maybe your friend who likes books and I will hit it off.”

“Actually, she doesn’t go here.” Dinah tells her. “Her sister does, though. They’re twins. Identical. Unfortunately for you, only one of them is into your dorky reading. The other one is kind of a fuckboy.”

Camila hums in thought. “Twins, huh? That must be frustrating when you’re trying to tell them apart.”

Dinah shrugs. “Not really. They both have completely different styles. Plus Lauren has some piercings.”

“Piercings?” Camila raises her eyebrows. “I’m guessing she’s the one that goes here, then.”

“Nope,” Dinah says, popping the ‘p’. “Lauren’s homeschooled. Michelle’s the one that goes here.”

Camila frowns. “Did she get herself kicked out or something?”

“I like how you assume that just because she has piercings, she’s some sort of violent thug.” Dinah laughs, apparently unoffended. Camila is a little relieved – she doesn’t want Dinah to revoke her invitation to lunch. “She’s homeschooled for a different reason. She’s never been here.”

“Oh,” Camila takes the information in, before she decides to change the subject. “So what are your other friends like?”

Dinah just smiles. “You’ll have to wait and see.”

-

“Guys, I made us a new friend. You can thank me later.” Dinah announces as she walks Camila into a classroom that’s empty aside from three girls sitting around a table. “This is Camila Cabello. Camila, this is Ally Brooke, Normani Kordei, and Michelle Jauregui.”

Camila is a little intimidated by all of them, considering they look like _fucking models,_ but she tries to ignore that as she sends them a nervous smile. “Uh, hi. It’s nice to meet you guys.”

The last girl Dinah had introduced, the one in the leather jacket, Michelle, looks up at her with bright emerald eyes that makes Camila feel way too exposed. Camila watches as the girl looks her up and down and smirks at her. “Really, really great to meet you too.”

Normani rolls her eyes at the other girl, and then beams at Camila. “Hey. Dinah wasn’t too crazy and didn’t drag you here, did she? Generally when most people realise what she’s like they go running for the hills.”

Dinah scoffs. “Normani Kordei Hamilton, how _dare_ you insult your best friend like that? If anything, you’re the crazy one, girl.”

The shortest girl, the one Dinah had introduced as Ally, laughs. “You’re both crazy. Obviously you’re going to scare Camila off. It’s nice to meet you, by the way.”

As Dinah and Normani bicker about which one of them is louder, Camila takes the empty seat next to Michelle and sends the other girl an anxious smile. _She’s a fuckboy_ , that’s what Dinah had said. _Clearly she’s someone you need to avoid._

Michelle smirks again in a way that makes Camila ridiculously nervous. “So, Camila, where’d you move from?”

Camila swallows the lump in her throat. “California. Well, Cuba originally, but...”

“Nice,” Michelle looks her over again and Camila feels herself squirming under her gaze. “You got a boyfriend back there? Or… a girlfriend?”

“No…” Camila replies, uncertain as to why she’s asking. “No girlfriend. Certainly no boyfriend.”

There’s a glint in Michelle’s emerald eyes which makes Camila uneasy. “Well, in that case-”

“Michelle, knock it off with the flirting,” Dinah rolls her eyes, and Camila is thankful for the interruption, “at least let her settle in before you start being a fuckboy.”

Michelle goes crimson. “I’m not- stop calling me a fuckboy!”

“Honestly, girl, she has a point,” Normani backs Dinah up, “you’re a pretty big fuckboy. Let’s be honest here, you’ll be flirting with someone else in an hour. If that.”

Michelle rolls her eyes. “It’s not like it means anything. Besides, I happen to think Camila here is pretty damn-”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” Dinah interrupts her, “because either way, it isn’t going to happen. Camila’s been here for half a _day_. Do you really think she’s looking to be flirted with?”

 _Thank the fucking lord for Dinah_ , Camila thinks, sending a silent prayer to whatever powerful force is out there. She’s right; Camila really isn’t looking to be flirted with.

“Fine,” Michelle slumps back in her chair, defeated. “I’ll stop. But next week you can’t use that excuse.”

While Camila was a little uncomfortable with the flirting, it hadn’t bothered her _that_ much. It’s not like anything would’ve come out of it. Besides, she’s not even looking to date. Sure, Michelle is pretty – like, drop dead gorgeous, _model_ level pretty – but if her _friends_ call her out for flirting constantly, Camila isn’t going to fall into that trap.

“So, Camila, why’d you move here?” Camila blinks in surprise when she hears Ally, and looks up to see the other girl sending her a radiant smile. “California to Florida is a pretty big move.”

“Yeah, my dad got a promotion and it involved moving. I didn’t mind it too much, though.” Camila shrugs. “It’s not like I left much behind. My sister was a lot more upset about it than I was.”

“You have a sister?”

Camila turns around to Michelle and nods. “Yeah. Her name is Sofia. She’s seven.”

“Oh, I was thinking you had an older sister,” Michelle replies, “older sisters are cool. I would know, I am one. _Younger_ ones, though…”

Normani scoffs. “ _Please_. Everyone knows that Lauren’s the good twin.”

“I mean, I have to admit, getting her to do my chores is always a plus, since it’s not like she has any kind of social life,” Michelle replies, smirking a little, “but I don’t like it when people compare us. Especially my mom. I thought when Lo got her nose pierced that for once I’d be the ‘golden child’, but mom literally looked at her and said ‘well, at least it suits you’.”

“You were the one who convinced her to get it done in the first place.” Dinah points out. “You literally drove her to the piercing shop.”

Michelle rolls her eyes. “Details, details.”

“Are you forgetting how you took her to that tattoo parlour as well?” Ally asks. “And sat right next to her when she got the dragonfly done?”

“Okay, stop ganging up on me, I get it,” Michelle holds her hands up in defence. “It’s not my fault that Lauren’s gullible. It’s honestly too easy sometimes.”

Camila frowns, growing more and more sceptical of Michelle by the minute. She doesn’t want to judge, but if the girl manipulates her sister into getting tattoos and piercings, maybe she isn’t someone that Camila wants as a friend.

“Hey, Camila, what was it like moving?”

Camila is pulled out of her thoughts by Normani, who is leaning forwards on the table and sending her a soft smile. She answers her question, not going too into detail about how her parents were stressing out and how she had to look after Sofi, a little surprised when they ask her more questions about herself and her family.

Because of this, she decides to hold off her judgements until she’s gotten to know them better. First impressions really aren’t everything.

-

“Mila, you’re not spending your Friday night reading.”

Camila nearly jumps out of her skin when her bedroom door bursts open and Dinah grabs the book from her hands, closing it and putting it on her nightstand. She pouts; she hadn’t marked her place.

“I’m sorry, what are you doing here?” Camila frowns, completely taken aback by the other girl’s presence. “And I can read if I want. It’s fun.”

Dinah rolls her eyes. “Come on. We’re hanging out at Michelle’s tonight. Pizza and movies. You’ll enjoy it. I promise.”

Not wanting to alienate her new friend, Camila sits up and nods. “Okay, fine. Just let me ask my parents-”

“No worries, I asked them on my way up.” Dinah smirks at her. “They said it was ‘marvellous’ that you’re getting out of the house.”

Camila huffs, but grabs her phone from her desk and follows Dinah out of the front door and into her car. She buckles her seatbelt and checks her phone for any notifications, unsurprised when she sees a Facebook message from Dinah, telling her about the night’s plans. She ignores it and stuffs her phone back into her pocket.

“What movies are we watching?” Camila asks, “Nothing too scary, I hope. I’m not into that stuff.”

“I’m sure we’ll find something that’s your taste.” Dinah teases her as she pulls up outside of a house. “Oh, you’re probably going to meet Lauren. She sits with us sometimes when we come over.”

“The one that likes to read?” Camila asks. When Dinah nods in confirmation, she smiles. “Good. I don’t really have anything in common with the one that likes to _flirt_ , so…”

Dinah laughs. “Michelle is cool, when she’s not… you know, flirting. Just- um, be gentle with Lauren. Okay?”

“Uh, okay?” Camila frowns, “Why?”

“Lauren is, uh… no, no reason.” Dinah apparently decides against answering her. “Just be kind to her. She’s a little socially awkward but she’s so sweet.”

Camila brushes Dinah’s sudden weird mood off as she follows her out of the car and towards the house. Dinah knocks on the front door and when the door swings open, beams. “Hey, Michelle. What’s the plan?”

“We just ordered the pizza, and we’re going to watch some movies until we either get bored or fall asleep.” Michelle replies, almost immediately glancing over to Camila and _not so subtly_ checking her out. “Hey, Mila. You look good.”

“Thanks,” Camila hopes that it’s just a friendly compliment, because Michelle has laid off with the flirting over the past week, and while she’s really pretty, they have nothing in common. It could never happen. “You too. Do you want me to take my shoes off?”

“Uh, yeah.” Michelle nods, and Camila can feel her eyes glued to her when she bends down to put her shoes by the door. “Yeah, follow me.”

Camila and Dinah follow Michelle out of the hallway and into the lounge, where Ally and Normani are occupying one couch, and a girl that looks almost exactly like Michelle sitting on the other, tapping out a pattern against her _Lion King_ phone case. Lauren.

Camila gets what Dinah meant now – it really isn’t that hard to tell them apart. Michelle’s hair is straightened and goes down past her rib cage, whereas Lauren’s falls to just above her breasts and is messier and wavier. Michelle likes dark eyeliner, red lipstick and tight clothes, but from what Camila can see, Lauren isn’t wearing any makeup and is dressed in an oversized sweater and ripped black skinny jeans. And to top it all off, Lauren has a nose ring and Camila knows about the tattoo of a dragonfly on the back of her neck, whereas Michelle is piercing and tattoo free.

“Hey, Lauser,” Dinah loudly announces, making Lauren jump in surprise. “We made a new friend. This is Camila.”

Lauren doesn’t look up, and Camila sees her start to tap her fingers against her thigh. “I know. Michelle told me.”

Camila almost melts at the girl’s voice. It’s raspier than Michelle’s, yet there’s a soft element to it as well.

Dinah practically pushes Camila down next to Lauren, and then sits down on the girl’s other side. Michelle glances at them for a moment and moves to sit on the other couch with Ally and Normani.

“Ralph,” Dinah addresses Lauren, “say hi to Camila.”

Nervously, Lauren looks up, and her gaze flicks towards Camila for a second. They make eye contact, and Camila feels her stomach flip and her throat knot, because Lauren is adorable. Dammit.

When Lauren talks, she opts to look around the room, her gaze flitting to different things. “Hi, Camila. I am not called Ralph or Lauser like Dinah says.”

“I know,” Camila laughs, “You’re Lauren. I’ve heard a few things about you.”

Lauren looks up at her in surprise, emerald eyes wide. “Good things? Because sometimes Michelle says things that aren’t true, and I can’t stop her because I don’t go to your school.”

“Actually, Dinah’s the one that told me stuff.” Camila tells her. “She says that you like to read, which is really cool because I do too.”

“Oh, yes, I love literature.” Lauren nods and bites down on her lip, glancing over to Michelle who’s frowning at them. “Um, I like art, too. And lions! Lions are my favourite thing in the whole world.”

Camila laughs, remember some of the drawings she’s done with Sofi – her parents thought her sister had done them all. “I’m not much of an artist. I bet you’re really good.”

“Yes, I go to an art class on a Wednesday night every week.” Lauren starts rubbing her hand against her thigh, and Camila figures it’s a nervous tick or something. “It makes me very happy. I have a few friends there, like Alexa and Keana and Lucy. Lucy is my best friend in the whole world. Aside from Nala.”

Dinah scoffs. “Um, where do I come in, then? Am I not your friend?”

“No, you are, I just-” Lauren starts, but Ally cuts her off before she can apologise.

“Lauren, she’s messing with you,” Ally laughs, “she knows you care about her.”

“Oh,” Lauren shuffles uncomfortably and taps her fingers against her leg. “Okay. I couldn’t tell.”

Camila turns to Dinah and sees the other girl already looking at her. Aware that she’d probably be heard by everyone in the room if she spoke about how cute she thinks Lauren is, she just smiles at Dinah, before looking back to Lauren. She’s amazed by how enthralled she is by this girl, and wonders if she’d feel the same about Michelle if she hadn’t come on so strong with the flirting.

“So, who’s this Nala you mentioned?” Camila asks, feeling a little bad when she brushes against Lauren’s arm and the other girl jerks away as quickly as she can. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Lauren mumbles, “Nala is my best friend.”

Michelle scoffs. “It’s a stuffed lion, Lauren. It isn’t your friend.”

Camila frowns when Lauren deflates and nods in response, and catches Michelle on the receiving end of a glare from Normani. Not liking the way Lauren’s mood has seemed to flatline, Camila keeps the conversation going.

“So, Lauren-”

“Hey, Lo, mind switching seats with me?” Michelle interrupts her. “I don’t like sitting over here.”

“But- um, this is my spot.” Lauren starts tapping against her phone again. “I can’t sit somewhere else because this is my spot.”

“It’s just a seat,” Michelle rolls her eyes, “You’re so fucking ridiculous. I’m going to see when the pizza is going to get here.”

Lauren rubs her leg and bites down on her lip as Michelle stalks out of the room, and instinctively, Camila kind of wants to hug her. But, Lauren had reacted badly when she’d touched her, and Camila doesn’t want to make another mistake.

“Ralph,” Dinah gets Lauren’s attention. “Ignore her, okay? You know how she can be when things don’t go her way.”

“I don’t understand why she wants to sit in my spot.” Lauren frowns to herself, and Camila bites on her lip to hold back her _aw_. “It’s my spot and I always sit here.”

“It’s because Michelle wants to flirt with Mila,” Normani laughs, “Girl’s got the hots for her.”

“Oh,” Lauren glances up at Camila and brown eyes meet vibrant emerald before she looks away again. “I, uh, I can see why. But I don’t want to move.”

“Neither do I,” Camila says, admittedly a little flustered by Lauren’s compliment. “Lauren here doesn’t flirt with me all the time. I appreciate that.”

“I, um, don’t- uh, don’t know how to flirt.” Lauren tells her, fiddling with the hem of her sweater. “I’ve tried practicing with Lucy, because she said she’d help me get a boyfriend or girlfriend one day, and I watch Michelle do it sometimes but I don’t know how. She brings girls home lots and tells me not to tell our parents.”

Camila laughs, her stomach flipping. Instead of commenting on Lauren’s adorable confession that she can’t flirt, Camila just smiles. “I like your sweater, Lauren.”

“Oh,” Lauren looks down at her sweater and smiles. “Thank you. It’s my favourite one. I have lots of sweaters. They’re comfy and they don’t feel bad when they touch my skin.”

Camila is a little confused by the last thing Lauren said, but Ally sends her a look as if to say ‘don’t ask’, so she doesn’t. Instead, she nods. “Yeah. I think if you went to our school, I’d hang out with you a lot. We could share our favourite books with each other. Like a mini book club.”

Lauren blinks. “I used to go to school. My parents have homeschooled me since ninth grade, because they thought high school would be hard for me. Sometimes I think about going back though. Being homeschooled is lonely.”

“I’ll trade you,” Normani offers, “You can go to school for me and I’ll hang out here with Mama Jauregui. You’ve probably already finished all your schoolwork for the year anyway, knowing you. Last year, Lauren finished in _January._ She did an entire school years’ worth of work between September and January.”

“I had nothing else to do.” Lauren plays with a bracelet on her wrist. “I am quite far ahead now, actually.”

“You must be really smart, Lauren,” Camila compliments her. “I like smart girls.”

“Yes,” Lauren nods, “I have a 5.0 GPA. I’m good at school. I think I’m going to go to college but my parents will probably make me do it online because they don’t think that actually going would be… right for me.”

“Well,” Camila looks the nervous girl over, “do you think it’d be right for you? Because if it’s what you want, you should go for it.”

“Um… I guess so.” Lauren nods. Then, without warning, she changes the subject completely. “Camila, do you have Twitter? Or Instagram? Or Tumblr? Or… Pinterest?”

Camila laughs, “I happen to have all of those, except Pinterest, since I’m not, you know, eighty. Why do you ask?”

“Can I, uh… add you on them?” Lauren asks, bright green eyes meeting brown before the older Latina ducks her head again. “If that’s, you know, okay. I- um, I want to be friends.”

Camila beams. “Yeah, of course. Hand me your phone, I’ll add myself for you.”

“Okay,” Lauren pulls her phone out of her pocket and hands it over to Camila, tapping on her thigh as she watches the other girl typing on it.

“Pizzas are here,” Michelle walks into the room with three large pizzas and sets the on the coffee table. “Dig in. Mila, why are you on my sister’s phone?”

“Oh, I’m just following myself on Instagram and stuff.” Camila replies as she finishes finding all of her social networks. She quickly adds her number to Lauren’s contacts – a little surprised when the only people in there are her parents, Michelle, Dinah, Ally, Normani, and the three other girls she’d mentioned before – and then hands the phone back to the other girl.

When Camila gets up to grab a slice of pizza, Michelle tugs her to the side. In a hushed voice, she says, “You know you don’t have to do that. I get that you’re being nice to her and stuff, but you don’t have to give her your social networks or anything. I know that she’s kind of weird. I don’t normally let her hang out if there’s a new person, but Normani invited her before I could distract her with _The Lion King._ ”

Camila blinks in confusion. “No, I like her. I think she’s sweet and I’d like to get to know her. And don’t call your sister weird, that’s mean. She isn’t-”

Michelle interrupts her. “She _is_ weird, though. Like… _clinically_. If you know what I mean.”

“Okay, you’ve lost me.” Camila frowns.

“She’s like, autistic.” Michelle says, her face straight, but Camila can see something a lot like guilt in her eyes, “She’s not… like us, Mila. You don’t have to- to pity her like the other girls do.”

Camila has heard about autism, and while she knows a few things, her knowledge is kind of limited. She knows it can lead to a bit of social awkwardness, and Camila figures that’s why Lauren stutters sometimes and jumps from topic to topic. Camila doesn’t really care about any of that. If she’s being honest, she much prefers the younger Jauregui twin.

Instead of replying to Michelle, Camila grabs a slice of pizza and sits back down next to Lauren, sending her a soft smile. She gets her phone out and follows Lauren back on Tumblr, Instagram and Twitter, and she’s surprised to see she has a Facebook notification, even though she doesn’t have any presence on that social network except for the occasional post her mom forces her to like. She sees a request from Lauren, and smiles, accepting it. Admittedly, she does a little stalking, but doesn’t go too deep.

(She’ll do that later.)

“You’re on my Instagram.” Lauren looks over her shoulder at her phone screen. “Are you going to follow me back?”

Camila smiles at her. “Already did. I really like your feed.” She taps on a recent picture, a selfie Lauren had taken, and likes it. “You look really pretty here.”

Lauren blushes. “Thank you. You- um, you look really pretty right now.”

Camila beams, and hears Dinah let out a small gasp behind her. She turns to her friend with a frown, and Dinah just laughs, nudging Lauren gently. “And she says she can’t flirt.”

Camila smiles, because really, Dinah’s got a point. But Lauren’s flirting wasn’t like Michelle’s. Lauren’s was unintentional and innocent, and she wasn’t trying to get anything out of it. Michelle’s flirting meant something.

Camila turns back to Lauren with a teasing smirk. “That was pretty smooth, Jauregui. Are you sure you can’t flirt?”

Lauren blinks in surprise and looks at her in a panic. “That was flirting? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you think that I was trying to, um, do- uh, like… do what Michelle does with girls. I’m sorry.”

“No, Lauren,” Camila shakes her head, “It was okay. I liked it. You’re really sweet.”

“Oh,” Lauren starts tapping out a rhythm against her thigh, “Um, thank you. For being so nice, I mean. A lot of people aren’t.”

“Why would someone be mean to you?” Camila raises her eyebrows. “You’re like, adorable.”

Lauren turns bright red. “You think I’m adorable?”

“Hey, Lauren,” Michelle stands in front of her and nods towards the door, effectively cutting off Camila’s answer of _yes, you’re adorable_. “You can go back to your room now. We want to watch a horror movie and I know what you’re like after watching one and that’s something I don’t want to deal with.”

Ally frowns at her, and Camila can see the disapproval in her eyes, “We don’t have to watch a horror movie, Michelle.”

“I know we don’t have to, but I want to,” Michelle replies, and then looks back to Lauren expectantly. “Go on. Watch _The Lion King_ or something.”

Lauren plays with her fingers and then nods, standing up and leaving the room without another word. Camila frowns after her, not liking the empty space next to her, and _definitely_ not liking the way it’s filled. Michelle flops down onto the sofa next to Camila and presses play on the movie, and Camila shifts a little uncomfortably, paying her no attention. Even when Michelle offers her more pizza.

When they’re about halfway through the movie and Michelle’s hand finds its way onto Camila’s thigh, she quickly excuses herself to the bathroom and realises that she has no idea where it actually is.

Luckily when she walks through a door and finds a kitchen, Lauren is in there, mixing something in a bowl, and all of the awkwardness Camila had felt practically melts away.

“Hey, Lauren,” Camila notices how the other girl jumps and spins around, and she feels a little bad for startling her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. What are you doing?”

“Um, baking,” Lauren doesn’t look up at her and keeps her gaze trained on whatever she’s mixing in her bowl. “I’m making cupcakes, because I was bored, and I found this kit in the stores, see? It’s _Lion King_ themed, and I love _The Lion King_ , it’s my favourite movie. There are these little icing things, in that edible paper stuff, and they have pictures of Nala on them!”

“Interesting,” Camila walks over to her and looks in the bowl, and then at the remaining ingredients on the counter behind Lauren, eyeing the Nala icing Lauren had mentioned. “Can I help you?”

“Aren’t you, uh, watching a scary movie with Michelle?” Lauren puts the bowl down and taps her fingers against her pants. “You don’t want to miss it, do you? I think Michelle wants to spend time with you. She says she wants to _do_ you, but I don’t really know what that means. How can you _do_ a person? They’re not an action.”

Camila turns bright red and clears her throat. “Uh, yeah, I think I’ll stay here with you. Is that okay?”

“Yes, if you want, and as long as you’re okay with missing your movie.” Lauren reaches over the counter and pours chocolate chips into the bowl. “You can stir this while I mix the stuff that’s in the other bowl. Then we can mix it together.”

“Okay,” Camila picks up the bowl and starts stirring, and turns around to watch the older Latina mixing the other bowl. “Lauren, your sister told me that you’re autistic.” Camila notices how Lauren freezes, every muscle in her body tensing up. “I don’t really know much about that, and I just want to know… like, what kind of things make you uncomfortable. So I don’t do anything to upset you.”

Lauren turns to her in shock. “You want to know what upsets me? You care? Because most new people, um, think I’m weird.”

“I don’t think you’re weird,” Camila replies, “it doesn’t change my opinion of you. But you didn’t answer my question. What kind of things make you uncomfortable?”

“Oh,” Lauren taps on the counter and nods, “well, um, I don’t like being touched unexpectedly. It’s okay if I want to hug someone or if they ask and I say yes, but I don’t like it when people grab me. I don’t like loud places because everything jumbles together and I can’t concentrate. I don’t like eye contact because it’s like… I feel like people can read my mind when they look in my eyes and I don’t want them inside my head.”

“Okay,” Camila nods, “anything else?”

“Well, um,” Lauren pauses in thought, her brow crinkling, and Camila smiles a little. “Sometimes people say things really figuratively and I don’t know what they mean, so I ask, and they shout at me and I don’t know what I’ve done wrong. I don’t like it when people are mean because I don’t understand, but then they don’t _explain_. It’s not fair.”

Camila sends her a sympathetic smile. “Well, I promise I won’t do any of that.”

“Oh, and I also don’t like when people call me weird.” Lauren adds, turning back to her mixing bowl. “Because I’m not.”

“Of course you’re not.” Camila agrees. “If it makes you feel any better, I think… you’re my favourite twin. Just don’t tell Michelle that. I know I’ve only known you a couple of hours, but you’ve been a million times more respectful.”

“Our little secret.” Lauren nods, glancing up and sending her the cutest smile Camila has ever seen. “I like being your friend.”

“And I like being your friend too,” Camila smiles, “You should really think about coming to school, Lauren. It’d be nice to see you every day.”

“I don’t like being homeschooled that much.” Lauren says, rocking backwards and forwards on her heels. “It’s lonely. Michelle always brings home friends but she tells me to stay in my room unless it’s Dinah, Ally and Mani.”

“Didn’t you mention some friends before?” Camila asks. “Lucy or something?”

“Yes, Lucy. She’s in my art class on a Wednesday.” Lauren nods. “There’s Alexa, too. And- um, and Keana. They’re my friends but I don’t see them outside of art class. They go to your school.”

Camila frowns. “Do they?”

“Yes,” Lauren bounces on her feet as she pours the mixture in her bowl into Camila’s, “Alexa Ferrer, Keana Issartel and Lucy Vives. Michelle doesn’t believe that I’m friends with them. Apparently they’re really popular or something. I don’t know about that. I met them because they sat with me on my first art class. They thought I was my sister at first.”

“Oh. Lauren, why is Michelle so… _mean_ to you?” Camila asks, and notices how Lauren frowns. “You do know she’s kind of mean, right?”

“Um… no? She’s my sister.” Lauren rocks on her heels again. “Sisters are supposed to be mean, I guess.”

“Not like that,” Camila shakes her head, “It’s like… she told me it was okay if I was rude to you because you’re _different_. And she purposely put on a horror movie so you’d have to leave. Plus, if sisters are supposed to be mean, why don’t you do it back?”

Lauren shrugs. “I guess it’s just her thing, then. I don’t mind. She’s nice sometimes… most of the time… and we were really close when we were little. She just… um, when she started high school, she started smoking and bringing girls home and wearing lots of makeup and I think she just… grew out of me.”

“You still shouldn’t put up with it.” Camila looks Lauren up and down and smiles. “Can I… can I hug you?”

“Um,” Lauren plays with the sleeves of her sweater, “If I said no, would you be upset?”

Camila shakes her head. “No. Like I said before, I want you to be comfortable.”

“Okay,” Lauren breathes out a sigh of relief. “No. I… um, I like to be close friends with someone before I let them touch me. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Lauren. I get it.” Camila smiles. “I’ll restrain myself until you consider me to be your close friend, but once we get there, all bets are off. I’m a big fan of koala hugs. I put my number in your phone, by the way. Text me some time.”

“I will.” For a few seconds, Lauren looks Camila in the eye and smiles. “I promise.”

-

On Monday at school, Camila finds herself wishing that Lauren was there.

Dinah notices. “Walz, what are you daydreaming about?”

“I just… wish Lauren was here. That’s all.” Camila shrugs. “I don’t know. She’s so cute, Dinah.”

Dinah laughs. “You two really hit it off, huh?”

“Yeah. Like, she’s one of the most adorable people I’ve ever met.” Camila smiles to herself. “I think I like her. We’ve been texting and she’s so sweet.”

“Well, that complicates things,” Dinah says, “Lauren’s never been with anyone and we don’t even know if she’s into anybody romantically at _all_ , and _Michelle_ likes you.”

Camila rolls her eyes. “Michelle doesn’t like me. She just likes flirting with me.”

“No, like, we actually think she likes you.” Dinah replies. “She hasn’t said anything, but she’s different around you compared to other girls she flirts with.”

Camila frowns. “Well, has Lauren said anything about me to you?”

Dinah laughs. “Nope. Lauser always tells all of that junk to Mani. I don’t know what goes on in her love life. I just know that it hardly exists.”

“Maybe I’ll have to ask Normani then,” Camila replies, “I need some insider knowledge before I do anything. I don’t want to freak Lauren out.”

“Why would you freak my sister out?” Michelle comes to a stop next to Camila and smiles at her. “What are you planning on doing?”

“Oh, nothing.” Camila shakes her head. “I was just… trying to think of a way to make friends with her without doing anything to upset her.”

Michelle rolls her eyes. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. Lauren doesn’t shut up about you. It’s actually kind of weird.”

“I don’t think it’s weird,” Camila is quick to reply. “I think it’s cute. I think she’s cute.”

Michelle frowns, and seems hesitant to continue, but she does. “She’s not cute when she’s having a fucking mental breakdown in public and everyone is looking at me like I’m crazy by association. And when she freaks people out so they won’t come over to my house anymore. She makes me lose friends and she’s so-”

“Don’t talk about her like that.” Camila snaps. “She’s your sister. You’re supposed to be understanding.”

“Whoa, since when do you care so much?” Michelle raises her eyebrows. “You’re my friend, not hers. She doesn’t have any friends aside from a stuffed animal and the people who go to her art class who I’m ninety percent certain she made up.”

“Actually, I am her friend.” Camila folds her arms across her chest. “And if you keep talking about her like you are, maybe I’ll only be _her_ friend.”

“Mila, it’s not like I’m lying when I say stuff about her,” Michelle replies. She rolls up her sleeve and points to a scar on her forearm. “She did that. She scratched me during one of her little mental breakdowns and I’ve had a scar there ever since. She’s not some sweet and innocent little girl like you think. Honestly-”

Camila scowls at her, but shakes her head, not wanting to entertain Michelle today. She says a quick goodbye to Dinah, and walks down the corridor, ignoring Lauren’s twin.

-

She knocks on the front door and waits.

“Oh, Camila,” Clara answers with a smile, “Michelle isn’t here, she’s at softball practice. She’ll be back in a few hours.”

“Actually, I’m here to see Lauren.” Camila clarifies, and is a little stunned when she sees the shock on Clara’s face. “Is she here?”

“Yes, she’s in her bedroom,” Clara replies, still a little stunned. “Go on up. It’s the first door on your right.”

Camila takes her shoes off and heads up the stairs, following Clara’s directions. She knocks on the correct door and pushes it open when she hears a soft “come in.”

“Hey, Lauren,” She smiles when the other girl blinks at her in surprise. “What are you doing?”

“Oh… Camila,” Lauren’s shock seems to wear off and she turns back to the sketchbook she’s drawing in. “I’m drawing something.”

Camila makes her way over to her friend. “What are you drawing?”

Lauren slams her sketchbook closed and shakes her head. “You can’t see until it’s finished. Nobody can see my art until it’s finished.”

“Okay,” Camila smiles at her and sits down on Lauren’s bed. “I can go, if you want to finish your drawing. I know I showed up unannounced. In hindsight I probably should have texted you.”

“I’m- um, yes, maybe.” Lauren nods, tapping out a pattern on the top of her sketchbook. “Why are you here?”

“Because I wanted to hang out with you. I haven’t seen you for like, two weeks, even though we’ve been texting, yet I see Michelle every day. And you’re my favourite twin. I can’t go without seeing my favourite twin for two weeks.” Camila explains, sending her a teasing smile. “Do you want to watch a movie?”

Lauren frowns down at her sketchbook, before she nods in confirmation. “Um, okay. Yeah. Michelle isn’t going to be home-”

“Your mom told me Michelle isn’t home. I knew that already. I came because I wanted to see you.” Camila is quick to assure her. “You’re my friend.”

“Are you, uh, do you want to go downstairs and watch something?” Lauren asks. “I have a TV in here, but… I don’t know where you’ll be comfortable.”

“I’m comfortable wherever you are.” Camila smiles. “But your bed _does_ look pretty comfy.”

“Um- okay. Yes. We’ll stay in here.” Lauren taps on her sketchbook and stands up, wandering over to her television. She turns it on by the button and then grabs her remote, sitting down on her bed next to Camila, who’s already gotten herself comfortable. “Um- do you want to watch Netflix? You can pick something. Or- um… we could… never mind.”

Camila ignores the outstretched TV remote. “What do you want to watch?”

“Well, um, _The Lion King_ ,” Lauren blushes, playing with the hem of her sweater. “It’s my favourite movie and it is a cinematic masterpiece in many ways. I would tell you all of them, but I do not want to overwhelm you with the list of reasons, as it’s very long.”

“Alright,” Camila smiles, watching as Lauren presses _play_ on the DVD remote, the movie already in there. “You watch it a lot.”

“Yes, Lauren distractedly replies. “Why are you here?”

Camila blinks in surprise. She thought she’d explained that. “Well… I’m here to see you.”

“I- yes, but I’ve never, um, had friends over,” Lauren bites down on her bottom lip, “Sometimes Normani comes in here and sits with me but that’s only after she’s seen Michelle. I’ve never had someone come to see me before.”

“What about those girls you mentioned?” Camila asks. “Alexa, Lucy and Keana?”

“Um- they don’t come here. Because they don’t like Michelle. That’s- um, that’s why they came up to me at my first art class, telling me to back off some girl, and I didn’t understand what they meant, because I didn’t know them.” Lauren explains, shuffling a little. “I’ve been to their houses before though. Lucy invites me over once a week.”

“Is she your best friend?” Camila asks. “Are you closest to her?”

“Yes.” Lauren nods quickly as the movie starts. “Lucy is like… she’s like my soulmate. She understands me.”

Camila can’t help but frown. “Is Lucy your _girlfriend_?”

“Girlfriend?” Lauren blinks in confusion. “No. She’s just my soulmate. Though, Lucy is very beautiful. But I don’t like her in that way.”

“So you’re not dating anybody?” Camila asks. “Or- do you like anyone romantically?”

“I- I don’t-” Lauren stammers and closes her eyes. “Can you please not ask so many questions? It’s confusing because they all jumble together and I can’t untangle it.”

“Okay. I’ll just repeat my first question.” Camila tells her, feeling a little guilty that she’s upset Lauren. “Are you… dating anybody?”

“No,” Lauren shakes her head and opens her eyes, her gaze flicking up to Camila. “I do not have a girlfriend or boyfriend, but I would like one, one day.”

Camila hums, her mood significantly lighter at Lauren’s answer. “Okay. Do you like anyone romantically?”

Lauren frowns at the floor and shakes her head. “No. I- um, I used to like Keana but I never told her. I don’t like anyone right now I don’t think. Sometimes I want to kiss Keana still, but I don’t think I like her anymore. She’s just pretty. Why are you asking me all of these questions?”

“I just want to know more about you.” Camila easily lies. “And now I do. I know that you like girls and you’re single and that your best friends are called Lucy, Keana and Alexa. And Lucy is your soulmate.”

“Yes. Are you single?” Lauren asks her, tapping her hands against her pants. “And all of that other stuff you asked me. Do you like anyone?”

“I’m single, yes.” Camila nods. “And I might like someone. I just don’t know if she likes me back, so I can’t tell her.”

“Oh,” Lauren hums in thought. “Well, you can tell me, if you’d like. That’s what friends are supposed to do, aren’t they? Gossip about crushes?”

Camila laughs, because telling Lauren about her possible crush would be a little problematic. “No, that’s okay. I want to keep it a secret for now.”

“Okay,” Lauren flashes her a small smile, picking up her stuffed Nala and cuddling it to her chest. “Am I being a good friend?”

Camila practically melts at the question. “Of course you are, cutie.”

“You think I’m cute?” Lauren asks, but before Camila can answer, Lauren launches into another explanation. “I asked if I was being a good friend, because I can’t pick up on social cues, so I don’t know what to do sometimes. But I want to be a good friend to you, because I like you.”

“You’re being a good friend, Lauren,” Camila smiles at her, “promise.”

“I am? Good,” Lauren beams, before she turns back to the television. “My favourite song in the movie is _Circle of Life_.”

“Cute,” Camila comments, “I like _Hakuna Matata.”_

“That- um, that was my first word.” Lauren tells her, tapping on her leg. “Well… first _words_.”

“Damn. That’s a pretty complex thing to say first,” Camila says, shrugging, “my first word was _mami_. Pretty standard. Then _gato_ to the disappointment of my dad, because apparently I love pussy more than him.”

Camila laughs at her own joke, and Lauren just frowns. “Well, is your dad mean?”

“No, no, Laur, it was a joke,” Camila laughs, her cheeks flushing a little at Lauren’s small _oh_ , and the loud laugh she clearly forces afterwards. “You don’t have to laugh. But yeah, my point is, I think it shows how smart you are, since your first word was so long. It was technically a phrase.”

“I was three, so that’s… that’s probably why.” Lauren muses, shrugging. “And it was more like _kuna tata_. And- and I would say it for everything, too. My mami would ask me if I wanted juice, and if I said _kuna tata_ happily, it was a yes, but if I said _kuna tata_ sadly, it was a no.”

“That’s so fucking cute, Lo,” Camila smiles at the thought of a tiny Lauren, saying _kuna tata._ “My first _English_ word was _Spongebob._ I was a big fan. It’s basically because of him that I know English _._ ”

“You couldn’t speak English?” Lauren asks, and Camila shakes her head. Lauren hums in thought. “I couldn’t use sentences until I was nine. When- um, when I was first diagnosed, I got told I’d never speak more than I already did. So, um… around twenty words. And the emotional _kuna tatas_.”

Camila turns to look at her, but Lauren’s gaze is still trained on the TV. “What do you think helped you learn more?”

“Well, um…” Lauren shrugs, “I think maybe my sister. Because- um, like I told you, when we were little, we were really close, and she’d always play with me and look after me and I think that constant interaction was what helped me learn. And I- I wanted to be like her. I kind of… idolised her, I guess. I always figured she was everything I could’ve been if I wasn’t autistic.”

Camila frowns a little at Lauren’s words; the Michelle that she’s describing sounds a lot different to the one Camila knows. “You don’t need to be exactly like Michelle. I like you the way you are.”

Lauren smiles, still staring at the television. “Thank you, Camila. I like you lots, too. And I know I don’t need to be like Michelle, because I am my own person and I am proud of who that person is. I’m just jealous of how confident she is around new people, because I’m still quite shy, but I’m working on my confidence around strangers.”

“Well… you made a new friend,” Camila says, gesturing over herself. “So I guess that’s a win for you. Even if you’re stuck with my bad jokes.”

Lauren smiles. “Yes. It has been a long time since I have made a friend. I can tell you the story of how I met Luc, Lex and Keana, if you want?”

Always wanting to learn more about Lauren, Camila nods. “Of course. I’d love to hear it.”

_She sighs, flipping open to a clean page in her sketchbook, hoping it’s okay that she brought her own. She’s halfway done with this one, and Lauren doesn’t like starting a new sketchbook when she’s already in the middle of one._

_She’s admittedly a little nervous to start this class, because Lauren hasn’t been in a proper schooling environment since she was thirteen, when she finished middle school, and even though this isn’t technically school and some older people will be here, it’s still similar. Her parents hadn’t thought high school was right for her, and her mother was only working part time, so it was the perfect time for her to start online school. Michelle, however, was starting at the high school, and Lauren had been jealous when she found out, but also sad. She was used to being around her sister practically 24/7; at school, Michelle looked after her, and when they were home, she always watched The Lion King with her at least two times a week._

_Lauren misses that a lot. She misses being close with her sister. She’s made friends with Dinah, Normani and Ally through her, but before Michelle started high school, Lauren was her best friend. Before Michelle started high school, she was nice all of the time. She still has her moments, and Lauren knows she can still talk to her about anything, but it’s not the same. Michelle is too focused on being cool and popular than being best friends with Lauren._

_Lauren flips back to the last page in her sketchbook, and looks at the drawing she’d been doing; a scene from The Lion King. She normally draws things realistically, but she wanted to branch out, and what better way to do that than to draw something from her favourite movie? She picks up her pencil, preparing to get back to work, when two hands slam on her desk._

_“Stay away from my girl. Understand, Jauregui?”_

_Lauren frowns, looking up, not understanding at all. For a few seconds, she meets the angry gaze of a very pretty girl, before her gaze flicks back down to her desk. “Um… who are you?”_

_“Don’t play dumb,” the girl snaps at her, and Lauren raises her eyebrows, unsure as to how she’s being dumb. “You know what I’m talking about.”_

_“I actually don’t,” Lauren says as two other girls join the first, both of them also very pretty, which is slightly overwhelming, because Lauren isn’t used to attention from pretty girls. Or pretty boys. Or pretty people in general. Or anyone. “But, I’m not dumb, like you said. I’m smart, I have a 5.0 GPA.”_

_One of the new girls rolls her eyes. “Come on, Lucy, she isn’t worth it.”_

_Lauren examines the first girl, Lucy, and smiles. “You are Lucy? I think you’re very pretty, Lucy.”_

_“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Lucy glares at her, and Lauren frowns, wondering if this girl is a little slow, because what else would_ you’re pretty _mean? “What kind of game are you playing?”_

_Lauren frowns, pointing at her sketchbook. “I’m not playing a game, I’m drawing, because it’s art class. Or… am I in the wrong room?”_

_Lucy scowls at her. “You know what I’m talking about. You need to back off from Vero. Understood?”_

_“Who is Vero?” Lauren questions, tilting her head to the side in confusion. “Why are you angry at me? I don’t know you, or what you’re talking about. But- um… if you want, you could sit with me and- and we could make friends?”_

_The other girl, the only one who hadn’t spoken yet, rolls her eyes. “Why would we want to be friends with you when you’re trying to steal Lucy’s girl for attention? Like that’d work.  All you want is popularity. Like we’re going to give it to you.”_

_“Exactly, Lex,” Lucy hums in agreement with the other girl. “Anyway, you’re at our desk. Move. And stay away from Vero.”_

_Lauren frowns, because she’d gotten here early just to select a seat, and the class instructor had assured her there weren’t any assigned seats. Lauren asked if anybody sat in the seat she was eyeing on a regular basis, and the instructor said no. “But… I asked. And the teacher said that this seat was always free. I do not want to move, because all of the other seats on the back tables are taken, and I can’t sit in front of anybody, because it gives me lots of anxiety.”_

_“Yeah, well, deal with it,” Lucy glares at her, “get lost.”_

_“Well, I can’t get lost intentionally,” Lauren says, hating the figurative language. “That’s not how getting lost works.”_

_“Oh my fucking god,” one of the other girls rolls her eyes, “just go away, Jauregui.”_

_If anything, that makes Lauren frown even more. “How do you know my last name? You used it before…”_

_“Because you’ve gone to school with us for two years?” Lucy rolls her eyes, and everything clicks into place in Lauren’s head. When she starts laughing, Lucy glares at her even more. “What? What the fuck is funny about that?”_

_“You haven’t gone to school with me for two years, because I am homeschooled, and you don’t go to school at my house.” Lauren explains to her, tapping against the desk with her pencil. “You probably know my sister. Her name is Michelle, but my name is Lauren. My parents knew they were going to name their daughter Lauren Michelle, but then they found out they were having twins, but I guess they didn’t want to think of any more names. So they gave Lauren to me and Michelle to her.”_

_“Wait…” Lucy stares at her, and this time, she doesn’t look angry. Just confused. “You’re_ not _Michelle Jauregui?”_

_“No, that is my sister. I am Lauren.” Lauren announces, because she thought she’d made that clear. “But I will tell my sister to back off this Vero girl, if you’d like.”_

_“I… yeah,” Lucy watches her, before she pulls out the chair next to Lauren’s, and the other two girls sit on Lucy’s right. “I’m sorry for yelling. In my defence, I didn’t know she was a twin.”_

_“It’s okay,” Lauren shrugs, bouncing her leg, “I didn’t know she was trying to- um, steal your girl.”_

_“I’m Lucy, by the way. And this is Alexa and Keana,” Lucy nods to her right, and the other two girls smile at her. Lauren thinks they’re even prettier when they smile. “So… if your sister is at our school, why aren’t you?”_

_“Oh, um,” Lauren bites down on her lip, considering it, before she shrugs and tells them. She’s not ashamed of her autism. In fact, she’s proud, because it makes her who she is, and Lauren likes to think she’s a good person. “I’m autistic. And our parents didn’t think I’d be able to cope in high school, so I do online school. I am actually almost finished with my work for the year, though. My mami decided to make me come here for a little social time, but I wanted to come for art. I like art, but I like lions more. Lions are very beautiful creatures. Did you know that they sleep for at least eighteen hours a day? But after a big meal, they can sleep for up to twenty four hours.”_

_“Oh god,” Lucy cringes, and Lauren wonders what she’d said wrong. Maybe Lucy already knew the lion fact she’d told her. But then, the other girl sends her weird smile, apologetic, which Lauren can’t decipher. She just thinks Lucy looks a little pained. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you were… I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”_

_“It’s okay, you didn’t mean to yell at me. You meant to yell at my sister_.” _Lauren shrugs, humming happily. “Would you like to be friends?”_

_Lucy turns and exchanges a look with her friends, before she smiles. “Yeah. I think we’d all like that.”_

“That’s so funny,” Camila smiles a little, “that she thought you were your fuckboy sister.”

“Mhm,” Lauren hums, picking at a loose thread in her jeans. “A few months after we made friends, Lucy told me that Michelle tried to kiss her girlfriend. I gave Michelle a stern talking to after I found out.”

 _A stern talking to_ , Camila thinks, beaming as she studies the adorable girl next to her. “And what did your sister say about that?”

“Well… she laughed at me, but…” Lauren shrugs, “I felt good, because it was like I was defending my friend. Because Lucy, Alexa and Keana are the first friends I’ve ever made on my own. Even though Michelle doesn’t believe I’m friends with them, I promise I am.”

“I believe you, Lo,” Camila assures her. “Don’t worry.”

They watch a few movies, and Camila is thinking about leaving before Michelle can get home, when the girl in question walks right into Lauren’s room and shoots her a look. “Lo, you know Camila doesn’t want to watch some kid’s movie with you.”

Lauren looks over at the screen, frowning. “But… Camila picked it.”

“Yeah,” Camila answers, a little stiffly. “I picked it. _Meet the Robinsons_ is my favourite.”

“You don’t have to humour her, Mila,” Michelle says, before she smirks. “How about we go to my room and-”

“Actually, I think I need to get home,” Camila answers, knowing that she won’t be able to watch the end of the movie, and she won’t get to snuggle with Lauren, but it’ll get her away from Michelle. “Thank you for keeping me company today, Lauren.”

Lauren smiles. “It’s okay. Do you- um… do you need me to walk you home?”

“I’ll drive her,” Michelle cuts in quickly, “it’s easier if I do that. Gets you home faster, Mila.”

“No, my mom is probably here.” Camila dismisses her, before she turns to Lauren. “But thanks for the offer, Laur.”

“It’s okay, Camz,” Lauren smiles the cutest smile, and Camila feels her stomach flip. “I will- um… see you soon. Hopefully.”

“Count on it,” Camila smiles at her, before she shrugs Michelle off, sends one last grin to Lauren, and heads downstairs, out of the Jauregui’s front door.

-

“Hey.”

Camila looks up from her schoolwork and meets the gaze of Lucy Vives. She frowns a little, wondering what she could want. “Um… hi?”

“You’re the Camila that Lauren won’t shut up about, right?” Lucy asks, and Camila nods. “Good. If you hurt her, or touch one hair on her adorable little head, I won’t hesitate to fucking end you. Got that?”

“I- what?” Camila frowns at her. “Isn’t this some kind of speech you give to your friend’s _girlfriend_? Not a random new friend?”

She’s asking because she hopes that means Lauren likes her back. Admittedly, she’s been lacking intel, because Normani won’t tell her anything, and Lauren herself is surprisingly good at keeping what she feels a secret.

“Whatever,” Lucy plays her off, “just don’t hurt her, because she’s my best friend and I’ll literally kill a man for her. Or ten.”

Camila smiles, happy that Lauren has a friend like this. “Okay, well, I promise I won’t hurt her.”

“Good,” Lucy answers, finally sending her a real smile. “Well, now all that’s aside, we can-”

“Vives,” Camila cringes slightly when she hears the voice. The voice that’s almost Lauren’s, but it’s not. It’s not the voice Camila wants to hear. “Why’re you talking to my girl?”

Lucy snorts, sending Michelle a _really, bitch_ kind of look. “Your girl? Pretty sure she has her eye on someone else, Mic _hell_ e.”

“Wow, real fucking creative,” Michelle rolls her eyes and throws an arm around Camila’s shoulders. Camila shuffles awkwardly. “I don’t know why my sister pretends you’re her friend. Probably just thinks you’re pretty or something. She doesn’t really have much taste, and she’s a little slow, you see-”

Michelle cuts herself off when Lucy slaps her, and her hand shoots up to touch her red cheek, looking affronted. “Why the fuck did you-”

“I’m proving my point to Camila here,” Lucy says, shrugging, “insult, hurt or upset Lauren? I don’t care who you are. I don’t care if you’re her sister. I’ll fucking fight you.”

Michelle glares at her. “What? I didn’t know you were actually _friends_ , I thought she was just making things up.”

“You know what really sucks about hearing things like this?” Lucy asks, shaking her head at Michelle. “It’s that she defends you constantly. Even when I call you out for the bitch you are, Lauren is always defending you. And you’re just here, insulting her. She fucking loves you, and you act like she’s nothing to you.”

Michelle stares, shaking her head. “Of course she’s not nothing to me. Obviously I love her, she’s my little sister. I’ve known her for way longer than you-”

“And you act like you don’t care about her at all,” Lucy argues, rolling her eyes. “I can’t be around your idiocy for any longer. I’ve got to go. I won’t tell Lauren about this, just because I know how much it’d hurt her that you said that kind of thing.”

Camila watches as Lucy storms off, trying to bite back her smile. She’s replaying the image of the slap in her mind, and it’s making her way happier. She _wishes_ she could’ve got it on camera. In fact, she’s considering asking the librarian for the security footage.

“Fucking bitch,” Michelle mutters, before she turns to Camila and sends her a small smile. It’s weirdly sweet, and Camila realises why; Lauren is basically the queen of shy, tentative smiles. “So, um, I actually wanted to talk to you, Mila.”

Camila raises her eyebrows, a little surprised at how nervous Michelle seems. She’s never seen this before; the older Jauregui twin practically oozed confidence. “Um, why?”

“Well, there’s this dance soon,” at the words, Camila’s heart stops, and the only thought going through her head is _no, no, no._ “And I was wondering if you’d want to go with me. Like… as a date.”

“I- I, um,” Camila stammers, not sure how to put _no, I don’t want to go with you, because I have a crush on your twin sister._ “No. I- sorry, but- no.”

Michelle’s face falls. “Oh. Is it because of all the flirting? Because I promise I can back off. I mean, a lot of the time it’s a joke, but… it wasn’t with you.”

“It’s not that, it’s…” Camila sighs, shaking her head. “I like someone else…”

“Oh…” Michelle frowns, “well… do they like you back?”

“I don’t know,” Camila shrugs, shifting uncomfortably. “But I really like her, and I just… like you as a friend.”

“Well,” Michelle pauses, before she plasters a smirk on her face, “this other girl better watch out, because I’m known for getting what I want.”

With that, Michelle gets up and walks out of the library, and Camila groans, resting her head on the desk and wondering what the hell she’s gotten herself into.

-

For a second, when the door opens and Camila sees a familiar face, she almost makes an excuse to leave. But then, she sees the nose ring and the shorter, fluffier hair, and her face melts into a smile. “Hey, Laur.”

“Hallo,” Lauren smiles at her, rocking on her heels. “Are you here for me? Or for Michelle?”

“For you,” Camila answers, and Lauren smiles even wider. “Always for you.”

Lauren hums, moving aside. “Would you like to come in?”

“Actually, uh,” Camila spies Michelle’s car in the driveway and shakes her head. “No. Can we go for a walk?”

“Yes,” Lauren nods, before she stretches, grabs the key from her side of the door. She closes it, and locks it, before she turns to Camila on the porch and flashes her a smile. “Where are we going?”

“The beach?” Camila asks, and Lauren hums, nodding, following Camila down the driveway. She skips aside Camila, and the younger Latina watches her, smiling. “So, um… anything new with you, Lo?”

“Not since you texted me an hour ago, no,” Lauren answers, humming happily. “Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering,” Camila shrugs, “I like knowing about you. About the people you meet, the places you go, the people you may be… interested in.”

“Interested in?” Lauren frowns at her, cocking her head to the side, and Camila wonders if she’s been too obvious. She knows Michelle likes her, and from the looks of it, isn’t going to give up on her, but Camila doesn’t want her. Camila wants _Lauren._

And because of Michelle’s feelings, Camila doesn’t know if she’s allowed to go after her.

“Yeah,” Camila shrugs, biting down on her bottom lip. “I mean, we’re friends, right? And friends gossip about their love lives. Is there anyone you’re… looking at?”

Lauren blushes, but shrugs. “I mean, I’ve never really had a real crush on anybody before, so I don’t really know how to tell if I’m just nervous or if it’s a crush.”

“But you think you have a crush on someone?” Camila asks; she knows if she were talking to anyone else it’d be so obvious why she’s asking. “Is it one of your art class friends?”

“Well, no, it’s you,” Lauren admits, and Camila chokes, because she hadn’t expected that Lauren would admit something like that so readily. “I mean, I think it’s a crush, because I know what it’s like to be nervous around someone, and it doesn’t feel like that. You make my tummy feel light.”

Camila blushes, looking over at Lauren, and before she can think about it, blurts out, “You make my tummy feel light too.”

“I do?” Lauren frowns, but then her expression brightens and she beams. “Oh. That’s nice. Does that mean that we should be girlfriends?”

“I- well,” Camila coughs, shrugging, looking anywhere but Lauren. “I mean, most people would go on dates before they do that…”

Lauren frowns. “Oh… well, we could… go on a date?”

“You want to?” Camila looks up in surprise, trying not to think about how Michelle had asked her out. But she likes Lauren, and Lauren likes her. So it’s okay, right? “Because I wouldn’t mind.”

“Yes.” Lauren nods, looking up and meets her gaze for a few seconds, before she looks away. “I would like to go on a date. We will decide when to do it, but I’ll need some notice, because I’ve got to do proper research prior to us going out.”

“Okay,” Camila nods, thinking this is probably the most forward way anyone has ever been asked out. “Next Saturday, then?”

“Yes,” Lauren nods, rocking on her heels. “We will go out next Saturday.”

When Lauren gets home, she’s still thinking about her date with Camila, and she decides to go to the person she thinks is a dating expert. She knocks on her sister’s door, rocking on her heels and humming happily, smiling when the door opens.

“Hallo, Michelle,” Lauren greets her, “can I come in?”

After a few moments, Michelle smiles softly, nodding at her. “Sure. Come on.”

Lauren hums, sitting down on her sister’s bed. She looks around, but she can’t see her sister’s stuffed Stitch anywhere, and she wonders if Michelle got rid of it. Lauren would _never_ get rid of Nala. But then, she sees his arm sticking out from under the pillow, and she smiles. “I want advice.”

“Advice about what?” Michelle asks, sitting down next to her. “Aren’t you supposed to be the smart one?”

“Well, yes, I have a 5.0 GPA,” Lauren comments, nodding, “but… but I’m not social smart, and I wanted to ask Lucy, but then I realised that you’re probably smarter than her when it comes to dating, because you’ve had more girlfriends, and I think Lucy and Vero are close to breaking up, because Lucy said they’re _on the rocks_ , and Google told me that’s bad.”

“You like someone?” Michelle asks, and Lauren beams when she smiles. She misses moments like these with her sister. “Do tell, little Lo.”

“I- um,” Lauren blushes, tapping on her leg, “well, I went out for a walk with Camila earlier. And- and we decided we would go on a date. And I think I really like her, and I want to do things right on our date, because we decided we’d go on one.”

Michelle pauses, and Lauren shifts, wondering what she’s thinking about. But then, Michelle puts on a smile and says, “So… what’s your question?”

“Well, what do I do?” Lauren asks. “On our date. So she’ll like me.”

Michelle stays quiet for a moment, conflicted, but then she shrugs and says, “play hard to get.”

“Hard to get?” Lauren reiterates, frowning. “But… why? Shouldn’t I tell her I like her?”

“No,” Michelle answers, “you should act like you _don’t_ like her. It’ll make her want you even more. Trust me.”

Lauren frowns, but nods, because Michelle knows more than she does about dates. “Okay then. Anything else?”

“No,” Michelle shakes her head, “Just act indifferent, like you don’t care how your date will work out. It’ll drive her nuts.”

“Okay then,” Lauren nods, tapping against her leg. “Thank you for giving me advice, Michelle. I love you.”

Michelle stares at her for a moment, before she looks away, and Lauren can’t read the emotion on her face. She opens her mouth to ask, but Michelle turns back with a smile and says, “I love you too.”

Lauren hums happily, before she pulls her sister in for a hug, snuggling against her. “I miss you. We don’t hang out ever… not like we used to.”

“I know,” Michelle murmurs, “I’m sorry, Lo.”

“What for?” Lauren frowns at her, and Michelle opens her mouth, like she’s going to say something, but seems to think better of it. “Are you sad that we don’t hang out, too? Will you watch _The Lion King_ with me?”

“Of course,” Michelle nods, and Lauren squeals happily, snuggling her face into her sister’s neck. She mumbles something, and Lauren doesn’t catch it, the only thing on her mind being that she gets to watch _The Lion King_ with her sister.

Michelle, on the other hand, is thinking about how she used to be the one _protecting_ Lauren, but now she’s not. But is it really that bad, to sabotage her sister’s date, if it’s going to spare her own feelings?

-

“Hey, Lauren.”

Lauren hums happily at the voice, and she taps against her pants, wondering if she should’ve ignored Michelle’s advice and brought Camila flowers instead. But Michelle knows more about girls than Lauren does, so she thinks she’ll play it safe and be _hard to get_.

(Besides, Michelle had said bringing Camila flowers might make her seem like she’s coming on _strong_ , and that’s supposed to be a bad thing.)

“Hallo,” Lauren greets her date, rocking on her heels. “We are going to a restaurant. It’s a quiet one, because I can’t function in loud environments.”

“Alright,” Camila smiles, nodding. She reaches out, going to hold Lauren’s hand, so the older Latina reaches up to play with her hair, because hand holding will make her _easy to get_. Lauren needs to be _hard to get._ “So, um, have you finished your schoolwork yet?”

“No, not yet,” Lauren says, humming happily as she gets in the car. She doesn’t ask Camila if she’s finished her own schoolwork yet, because she knows the answer. Instead, she fiddles with the aux cord before plugging her phone in, putting her special stim playlist on.

“Um…” Camila trails off, shifting awkwardly as she buckles herself in. “Uh… how are you?”

Lauren taps against the steering wheel. “I am good.”

“Um, yeah, me too,” Camila answers, “I’m glad we’re doing this.”

Lauren beams; Michelle’s advice is working! She’s so grateful for her sister; Michelle had even let Lauren borrow her car for the evening. “Yes, well…”

Lauren pauses. If she says she’s glad she’s doing this too, it wouldn’t be playing hard to get. Michelle had said to act like she doesn’t like Camila, so Camila will like her more.

The correct answer pops into Lauren’s head, and she smiles. “I am _not_ glad we’re doing this.”

Camila’s face falls. “What?”

“Yes,” Lauren nods, humming happily. Camila blinks at her, and Lauren sends her an awkward smile before she looks back at the road, drumming against the steering wheel.

Camila doesn’t ask her any more questions on the drive, and stays on her phone, which Lauren doesn’t mind. She wonders if Camila is playing _hard to get_ too.

When they arrive at the restaurant, Lauren has to restrain herself. She wants to open the door for Camila, and she thinks that Camila wants that, too, because when Lauren gets out of the car, Camila stays put, looking through the little bag she’d brought.

But Lauren, playing hard to get, takes a look at the car door, whines a little, and then turns on her heel and walks towards the restaurant. She hears Camila get out of the car and jog to catch up to her, and Lauren presses the lock button, keeping her eyes ahead.

They get taken to their table, and Camila is sat across from Lauren. The younger Latina sends her a small smile. “So, um, do you like this restaurant?”

“Yes. It’s quiet, and I like the quiet.” Lauren says, “and I have my regular order. It’s routine, see?”

“Oh,” Camila nods, picking up the menu. “What’s good here?”

“My regular order,” Lauren says, but she doesn’t tell Camila what that is. “What do you want to eat? Or- um, never mind, don’t answer that, I don’t really care.”

Lauren smiles to herself, happy she’d caught the question before Camila had answered it. Michelle told her not to ask Camila any questions about herself.

“Oh,” Camila says again, and Lauren can’t read the emotion on her face, but she hopes it’s good. “Um… I’ll just… look through the menu.”

Lauren hums. “Okay.”

Once their orders are taken, Camila is quick to excuse herself to the bathroom. She pulls out her phone, reading the texts she’d sent to Dinah.

**_Walz (6:59PM): dinah help_ **

**_Walz (6:59PM): im on a date with lauren and she said she’s not glad to be on a date with me??? what the hell does she mean_ **

**_Walz (6:59PM): like i know shes a little different but she says what she means right????_ **

**_Walz (7:10PM): she practically left me in the car and just walked off????_ **

**_Walz (7:22PM): she doesn’t seem interested at all I’m starting to think this was a mistake_ **

**_China (7:27PM): Whoa slow down a moment_ **

**_China (7:27PM): You know Lo’s a little socially awkward so she probably doesn’t mean it_ **

**_Walz (7:28PM): it’s kind of hard to misinterpret ‘I’m not glad we’re doing this’_ **

**_China (7:29PM): Maybe she meant like she’s more than glad_ **

**_Walz (7:30PM): it’s like she’s changed her mind about liking me or something_ **

**_China (7:30PM): Relax okay?_ **

**_China (7:30PM): Maybe she just feels nervous so she’s acting awkward_ **

Camila hums in acceptance of the explanation. Yeah, that’s got to be it. That’s why Lauren isn’t acting like herself. Unless…

Camila’s mind jumps to Michelle, and she knows she sounds a little crazy, but maybe Michelle had found out about her date with Lauren and had her younger sister locked up somewhere while she took her place. Maybe that’s why she’s acting so strange. Because she’s _not_ Lauren.

She tucks her phone back into her bag, and walks back out of the bathroom, her eyes studying Lauren from across the room. She frowns, sitting down, and decides to test this by asking something only Lauren would know.

“Hey, Lauren…” Camila says, and Lauren hums, not looking up. “What was the first movie we watched together?”

“ _The Lion King_.” Lauren says. “It is my favourite movie.”

 _Too easy_ , Camila thinks. “How did you meet Lucy?”

“At my art class. She thought I was Michelle,” Lauren says, shrugging, “she thought I was my sister and was telling me off for trying to _steal her girl_ , but I didn’t really understand what she was talking about, because I’d never met her before.”

 _Not Michelle, then_ , Camila sighs, because if she was being honest, she was kind of hoping it _was_. Only because this date isn’t exactly going swimmingly, and she really likes Lauren.

It just feels like Lauren doesn’t really like _her._

Deciding to try again, she thinks of a funny story. “You know, it’s actually kind of a weird story how I met one of my best friends back home-”

“I don’t really want to know about that,” Lauren interrupts, tapping on the table, “I don’t care.”

Camila bites back the tears brimming her eyes, and nods. She doesn’t know what she’s done to make Lauren treat her this way. She thought if Lauren had changed her mind, she would’ve been honest enough to call her and tell her, instead of putting her through this.

“Well, um,” Camila tries again, “do you have any funny stories?”

“I think I might have a few,” Lauren hums, shrugging, “but I’m not going to tell them to you.”

Camila sighs, subtly wiping at her eyes, and nodding. She’s so relieved when the waiter brings the food over, and occupies herself with eating, because she doesn’t want to think about how Lauren has clearly changed her mind.

When the meal is finished, and they’re asked if they want dessert, Camila is quick to decline, wanting to get home as soon as she can. If she cries in front of Lauren, she’ll never forgive herself.

Lauren pays for the meal, and Camila is grateful that she at least gets free food out of this heartbreak. She doesn’t talk to Lauren on the way home, and Lauren doesn’t make any effort to talk to her, so when they pull up outside of Camila’s house, the younger Latina blurts out a small goodbye, before she gets out of the car and runs into her house.

She slams the front door behind her and immediately sinks down against it, sobbing into her hands.

-

She’s still in a bad mood by school on Monday.

In fact, Camila is so upset, that she didn’t even want to _go_. She didn’t want to cry in front of her peers, and seeing _Michelle_ will just remind her of Lauren. She excuses herself from lunch, because she can’t bear to look over and see the face that broke her heart, even if it’s not the _person_ who hurt her.

She hides out in the library, but naturally, not five minutes into her desperately needed alone time, Michelle sits across from her and sends her a small smile. “Need to talk?”

“No,” Camila gets out, shaking her head. “I don’t.”

“You sure about that?” Michelle asks. “Because you’ve been acting upset all day. I wouldn’t be a very good friend if I just let you mope around.”

“Yeah, well, I’m fine,” Camila gets out, shaking her head. “And it’s not like I could talk to you about it anyway, because you’ll get upset, and I wouldn’t be being a good friend then.”

Michelle looks over at her, watching her carefully, before she shrugs. “I know you went out with my sister. It’s fine, I don’t mind.”

“Oh,” Camila lets out an awkward laugh and shrugs, “yeah. I did go out with Lauren.”

“Is that why you’re so upset?” Michelle asks. “Did she do something?”

“She didn’t even act like she liked me,” Camila sighs, hating the heartbreak she feels when she relives the evening in her head, “It’s like… she’s always really honest about her feelings, right? But she barely even looked at me. She openly said she didn’t care about my opinions and stories and pretty much just dismissed me the whole night. I know she’s autistic, but that wouldn’t stop her from being honest with me about her feelings.”

Michelle hums in reply. “Yeah, Lauren always wears her heart on her sleeve. She probably just doesn’t feel the same, and I’m sorry. If she wasn’t my little sister, I’d beat her up for you.”

Camila sighs again, looking down at her feet. “You wouldn’t have to do that. It just sucks, because I really like her.”

“Well, you know the good thing about twins,” Michelle smirks at her, “is that if it doesn’t work out with one of them, you can always go for the other.”

“No, it’s not like that,” The older Jauregui’s face falls at Camila’s words. “I don’t normally get crushes, and I know you guys look the same, but you’re completely different. Lauren is… I don’t know. I guess I just found her endearing. She was always so sweet.”

“Oh,” Michelle’s face falls, but she quickly plasters a smirk back on. “Well, that’s a shame. You wouldn’t get to experience the better twin.”

Camila bites down on her bottom lip, shaking her head. “Not to be rude, Michelle, but I’m really not in the mood for your flirting.”

Michelle frowns at her. “You’re really upset? It’s _Lauren_. She’s not exactly a romantic.”

“I thought she really liked me.” Camila admits, and Michelle looks guilty for a moment, but Camila doesn’t pick up on it. “And it sucks, because I really wanted it to go somewhere, you know?”

Michelle hums in thought, looking a little conflicted. “Well, if it’s meant to be, then it’ll work out.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Camila hums, sighing. “Thanks, Michelle. I think I’m going to go find somewhere to sit and be alone for a little while.”

“Alright, well…” Michelle shrugs, “the girls were talking about hanging out tonight. Dinah will text you the details.”

“Okay,” Camila nods, not sure if she’ll go or not. “Later.”

Michelle watches her go, conflicted.

-

Not wanting to be alone for too long, Camila opts to go with the girls for the evening. But of _course_ , they pick Michelle’s house as the place to hang out. And _Michelle’s_ house has Lauren in it.

When she arrives with Dinah and Ally, Michelle is quick to assure her that Lauren won’t be invited down to join them, and she sits with Camila as the girls bicker over which movie to watch, holding her hand and making her feel like she’s not completely empty.

If she’s being honest, it’s actually kind of _nice_.

They’ve just started a movie when the lounge door opens, and Lauren walks in, looking slightly taken aback at the people in the room. “Hallo! Michelle didn’t tell me you guys were coming over.”

At the voice, Camila feels her heart break. Lauren looks so happy, like nothing is wrong, like she didn’t act distant and uninterested on their date, and she gets up, excusing herself to the kitchen before Lauren can talk to her.

Unfortunately for her, Lauren spots her, and follows at her heel, humming happily. “Hi, Camz!”

“Uh, hey,” Camila gets out, pretending that she’s looking through the fridge for something. “What’s up?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to go on another date,” Lauren says, rocking on her heels. “With me, I mean, not just in general.”

“Why would I want to do that,” Camila answers, a little bitterly, “when the last one was so bad?”

Lauren tilts her head to the side, looking a little hurt. “It was bad?”

“I just want to know _why_ ,” Camila says, ignoring Lauren’s question, “ _why_ did you change your mind?”

“Change my mind about what?” Lauren asks, looking so confused that Camila just wants to take her in her arms and say it’s okay, to give her another chance. But she stands her ground when she reminds herself how she’d acted on their date. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“About _liking_ me.” Camila points out like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “You acted like you didn’t like me at all, and I know how honest you are about your feelings. So _why_ did you change your mind? What made you stop liking me? And why didn’t you just _tell_ me instead of making me sit through a date like _that?_ ”

“Well, I didn’t stop liking you, I like you lots,” Lauren says, frowning at her, “I did what I was supposed to do on our date. I played _hard to get_. So you’d like me more.

“But- but Lauren,” Camila stares at her, wondering how she got that information, “why would you do that?”

“Michelle told me to,” Lauren shrugs, and while everything clicks in Camila’s head, Lauren doesn’t register what had happened. “She said that if I played _hard to get_ , you’d like me more, and I did it, because I want you to be my girlfriend, but if you’re my girlfriend, you have to like me lots. That’s why I played hard to get. To _drive you nuts._ ”

“Lauren…” Camila breathes out something between a cry and a laugh, and she holds out her arms, feeling a little honoured when the older girl collapses into them, burying her face into Camila’s shoulder. “She was sabotaging you. She didn’t want our date to work out because she _likes me_. Oh my god, why didn’t I think of that before… it’s so _obvious._ ”

Lauren frowns at her, shaking her head. “No, Michelle wouldn’t do that to me, because she’s my sister, she protects me.”

Camila squeezes her eyes shut, shaking her head. “No, Lauren. She took advantage of you. She took advantage of you and hurt _me_ for her own personal fucking gain. And I was just starting to think that she wasn’t…”

Lauren opens her mouth to speak, but Michelle walks into the kitchen, saying something about ordering takeout, but Camila doesn’t care about that. All Camila can see is red.

She doesn’t even realise she’s slapped Michelle until Lauren steps between them, pushing her backwards. “Hey! Don’t hurt my sister.”

“She _lied_ to you, Lauren,” Camila snarls, glaring at Michelle. “She told you to play hard to get so I’d think you didn’t like me. Then she could be the shoulder to cry on and _she’d_ get to date me. Not you.”

“But- but- no,” Lauren shakes her head, “I have to- I’m sorry, but I have to side with my sister, because I believe that she wouldn’t-”

“Don’t, Lauren,” Michelle stops her, and Camila can see the guilt on her face. If she’s being honest, Camila hadn’t expected she’d so readily admit it. “Camila is right. I lied to you because I like her and my feelings got in the way. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done it. I was being selfish.”

“Oh,” Lauren frowns, looking down at her feet. “But why would you… you’re my sister. You protect me.”

“I thought I was protecting myself. I’m so sorry, Lo. I invited Camila here tonight because I wanted to fix it” Michelle answers, and Lauren tilts her head, watching her carefully. “Will you forgive me?”

“I- um…” Lauren spins on her heel and turns to look at Camila. “Does she- um, look like she’s telling the truth? Like she’s really sorry? I can’t tell.”

Camila looks Michelle over, and after a few seconds, she nods. “Yeah, she does.”

Lauren hums, before she looks at her sister and sends her a small smile. “Okay. I forgive you. But don’t do it again, or we won’t be friends. We’ll still be sisters, obviously, because that’s how family works. But I won’t be happy about it.”

“Okay. Okay, thank you, Lo,” Michelle smiles, and holds out her arms. Lauren gives her a tentative hug. “And Lo? If you really want her to like you? You should kiss her.”

Lauren hums, looking over at Camila with a small smile. “Yes. I think I should, too.”

Camila’s heart picks up as Lauren walks over to her, and her hands cup Camila’s jaw, before she guides her into a careful, tentative kiss, and it’s like Camila’s whole world falls into place.

-

It’s weird, how almost completely destroying your relationship with your sister can change your outlook. Or maybe it’s not so weird. Michelle isn’t quite sure.

It takes her a little while to get over Camila, but when she sees how happy it makes her sister, she does her best. She’s a little jealous, but she knows that Lauren has had it hard, and she deserves this.

She tries her best to have at least one _The Lion King_ day with Lauren every week, like they used to when they were kids. Granted, after a month, she’s a little sick of hearing _Hakuna Matata_ , but it makes her sister happy, and Michelle feels like she owes it to her, with the three years she’s been so distant.

A year later, when it’s time for them to go to college, Michelle heads to Pennsylvania, whereas Lauren and Camila go to California. Lauren doesn’t let the distance ruin their recently rekindled bond, and makes sure to FaceTime her every day, telling her all of the things she’s learning in her biology courses, and how happy she is that their parents let her go to a real college.

She’s visiting back home for a weekend when she’s down at the grocery store, and she runs into Lucy Vives.

“Hey, Lauren, I didn’t realise you were-” Lucy starts, and Michelle spins around to face her, “oh. It’s _you.”_

Michelle rolls her eyes. “I’m not too happy about seeing you around here, either.”

Lucy raises her eyebrows. “Do you want me to slap you again?”

“Oh, shut up,” Michelle answers, “my sister wouldn’t like it if she found out about that, by the way.”

“What’re you going to do?” Lucy snorts. “Tell her? You’d have to tell her _why_ I slapped you in the first place.”

“Lo knows it’s different now,” Michelle points out, cringing a little at how childish she’d been. “Besides, she’d defend me any day.”

“Please,” Lucy rolls her eyes, “we both know I’m her favourite.”

Michelle scoffs. “Wow, stop living in denial.”

“Make me.”

And two hours later, when Michelle is coming down from her high and resting her head against the pillow, she looks at Lucy and rolls her eyes. “For the record, that was the _worst_ sex I’ve ever had.”

Lucy rolls her eyes at her. “Touché, Jauregui.”

Michelle kisses her again.

And five years later, when Michelle watches her sister walk down the aisle to Camila, she feels nothing but happiness as she looks over at Lucy, knowing that they’re next, and wondering if it’s too soon to ask Lauren to be maid of honour.


End file.
